Preview: Isles @ Flyers, 7 p.m. 12/8/09, Wachovia Center

Haven't done one of these in a while, but I figured since Versus is conveniently not aired on my dorm room cable it would be good to at least give you this.

Well, well, well, it looks as though there's a storyline even before the morning skate. Brendan Witt was hit by a car this morning on his way to get his morning Starbucks, as reported by Newsday Isles beat writer Katie Strang. As a crowd gathered, he got up, dusted himself off and said he was okay, and was at the rink practicing only a few hours later. Now THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is toughness.

On to tonight's matchup against Philadelphia. The Flyers are in a slump of their own, but for some reason can always manage to break that losing streak against our Isles. That will not be the case tonight, the hockey gods willing, but it's up to the Islanders to stay focused and on their game. I see them take the bait and get into fights too often with these neo-Broad Street Bullies, and after that they end up losing it completely. The key to tonight's game: Don't do the same thing again. Focus on getting to the front of the net and getting a garbage goal or two. Some players to keep your eye on: Witt (let's see if he's really okay) and Kyle Okposo, who's been dying to score one but hasn't yet had the bounces go his way. Also, we'll see who's in net tonight. Something tells me it may be Marty Biron. Who knows, though?

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!